I am NOT a doctor, dietician or expert. Do I know everything there is to know about diabetes? Heck no, but I do know what it’s like to live with it.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

A Call to Action

I did
something yesterday that I’ve never done before.I don’t hold much hope that it will do any
good but I had to try.I sent letters to
my congressmen asking them to educate themselves about what it’s like to live
with Type 2 Diabetes and use that knowledge to make informed decisions
regarding health care costs, nutrition and medical research.

I’m
continually frustrated by the way people with T2 are portrayed in the
media.I think it’s important for people
to understand that we’re just people; people who are dealing with a serious
disease; people who are stigmatized because of this disease; people who need
help.Here is my letter:

Dear
Senator/Congressman, (my actual letters were personalized)

I write
to you as a concerned citizen who has Type 2 Diabetes.As you know, there is an epidemic of Type 2
Diabetes in our nation and around the world.I’m sure you’ve seen the media coverage from ads to news stories about
this issue.However, did you know that a
lot of what you see and read is inaccurate and/or misleading?The media portrays people who have developed
Type 2 Diabetes as people who are obese, lazy and unable to make informed
decisions about their health.This
couldn’t be further from the truth.Yes,
some of us are overweight but the stigma that has been attached to this disease
is seriously hurting our chances for good research for a cure and better
treatment plans.This isn’t just about
being overweight; it’s about genetics and poor diet.We need your help!

Many
people who are diagnosed are shoved out the door with little education or
direction.We are expected to control
our condition but we aren’t being given the tools to succeed.Diabetes is not a “one size fits all” type of
disease.Each of us reacts differently
to medication and food.Each of us has
to figure out what works for us.There
isn’t just one way to deal with Diabetes.We can’t just lose weight and be cured.

People
with Diabetes need support; we need better food; we need widespread effective
education about what we should eat in order to control our disease or prevent
it from developing in the first place.Yes, we need a cure but we also need help for the 25.8 MILLION people
who are dealing with this disease right now!

I am
writing to ask you to educate yourself about what it’s really like to have Type
2 Diabetes and think about this when you’re faced with legislative decisions
regarding health care costs, nutrition and medical research.There are many people who blog about their
lives with Diabetes, including me.I ask
you to have someone on your staff read these blogs and try to understand just
what it’s like to live with this disease.You can find my blog at http://kates-sweet-success.blogspot.com/ which includes
links to other blogs.You can follow
people on Twitter like @DiabetesSocMed who hosts a TweetChat on Wednesday
evenings at 9PM Eastern for people with Diabetes (#DSMA).There are amazing websites dedicated to
helping people with Diabetes like Diabetes Daily.

This
isn’t about politics; this is about people who need help.This is about understanding your constituents
and doing something effective to lighten their load.Diabetes isn’t a sentence, it’s just a word.However, unless something dramatic is done to
change the tide, we are doomed.Please
seriously consider my request.

Sincerely,

Kate
Cornell

I urge you to follow my lead and write letters
to your congressmen too.Let them know
how you feel about Type 2 Diabetes and how it’s perceived.Let them know that we demand to be heard and
treated fairly.Let them know that
something needs to be done about the poor nutrition in our nation and that
people need to be educated about Type 2 Diabetes; what causes it and how to
control it.It may be futile but nothing
happens when you do nothing.You can use this website to find the contact information for the congressmen in your state. Just
do it!!

4 comments:

I think this letter is important for a number of reasons. First, few people write to lawmakers about type 2 diabetes (unfortunately, the disease lacks an organization like the JDRF to do lobbying efforts on behalf of patients) and second, policy decisions on matters like agricultural policy and healthcare policy impact everyone with chronic illnesses, so lawmakers indeed should hear about these things. Thanks for sharing your letter. I hope others will be similarly inspired to write to their own lawmakers!

Thanks Scott! I have always been reluctant to contact lawmakers because I have never felt that it would do any good. However, if we all speak up we can be a loud voice. I intend to send them letters on a regular basis sharing bits of education along the way. Be warned Washington, Kate is on the loose! :)

Oh Kate, this is AWESOME!!!! I can tell you, from first hand experience, writing letters like these matter. Making phone calls helps too. In the past year I've gotten to meet with my local members of Congress (or their health aides) three times and they really do listen and value what we tell them. At least mine do - they rock and are very supportive. And if your members of Congress aren't, your letter can be the one that opens their eyes and makes them see that they need to be supportive. Bravo to you - I wish more people would take the time to do what you have done!!

I truly love to receive comments from readers, however, if your comment includes a link to a website about diabetes or information on how you "cured" your diabetes, it won't be published. If your profile name links to a website about diabetes, it won't be published. If you also write a blog and would like me to include it in my blog roll, please say so in a comment and I'll do that. Thanks.